Discussion Random Chat Megathread Mk II

Sep 16, 2016
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Do you think the activity on the FJGD has quietened over the last couple of years because there's been so few guernsey changes?
Probably because most teams are adopting their perfect/really good clash jumpers

Although if ISC does indeed go down the shitter i can see this place heating up again
 
Do you think the activity on the FJGD has quietened over the last couple of years because there's been so few guernsey changes?

Absolutely it's one component. Compared to previous years where jumper changes were aplenty, in recent seasons the amount of changes has quietened down because teams seem to be settling on popular/good jumpers and sticking with them for longer periods of time. This was probably most exemplified last summer when hardly any changes occurred, and apart from a couple of big releases everything else was rather minor. I'm expecting this off-season to be much bigger than last, however. With Nike and Carlton waning, ISC possibly collapsing, and numerous other issues that should be cleaned up and other contracts ending it could be rather exciting seeing all the changes flow through, whereas last off-season (in terms of jumpers) was a drag

I think the activity has quietened though because many of the members who were young three or four years ago have grown up now and moved on, and while there's been a few new members come in, overall the core of the FJGD is much smaller than it once was and is less attractive than it was three or four years ago

But I think there's a left field reason why activity has declined. While it pains for me to say it (because I plan on doing just this very soon) I think the move to realistic templates has made many prospective members think 'there's no way I can match that' and just not bother designing or returning to the board. For me personally, I work really hard on my designs, but when they get destroyed in competitions by realistic templates it's not encouraging me to return
 
Apr 7, 2013
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But I think there's a left field reason why activity has declined. While it pains for me to say it (because I plan on doing just this very soon) I think the move to realistic templates has made many prospective members think 'there's no way I can match that' and just not bother designing or returning to the board. For me personally, I work really hard on my designs, but when they get destroyed in competitions by realistic templates it's not encouraging me to return
pretty much. when i joined most regulars were about on par technically and there was only a couple of templates floating around. anyone who is still around from that time is years of experience ahead of most people who sign up now. i like to think we all picked up a lot of technical skills and design sensibility as a community in that time.

bit stiff that the most common template used now is an ultra realistic one that costs money to use unless you know the right person to pm. the best PS template in the pinned thread is still scorcho's from like 4 years ago lol.
 
Thats why I quite like the NAFL Reserves due to it allowing posters who are relatively less experienced or equipped to compete amongst others in the same sort of boat.

From day dot I've strived to constantly improve my designs and that's what's kept me coming along and I'm honestly not disheartened when I lose a match to a better template, more experienced poster or anything, because at the end of the day we all start at the bottom and have to work our way up somehow.

Would be nice for the board to get more exposure such as through the banners on the top (like the SweetFA) of the website just to get some more newcomers along.
 
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cottoneyeYeo

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Jan 16, 2019
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Thats why I quite like the NAFL Reserves due to it allowing posters who are relatively less experienced or equipped to compete amongst others in the same sort of boat.

From day dot I've strived to constantly improve my designs and that's what's kept me coming along and I'm honestly not disheartened when I lose a match to a better template, more experienced poster or anything, because at the end of the day we all start at the bottom and have to work our way up somehow.

Would be nice for the board to get more exposure such as through the banners on the top (like the SweetFA) of the website just to get some more newcomers along.
thats a comp I'm looking to join this year
 
But I think there's a left field reason why activity has declined. While it pains for me to say it (because I plan on doing just this very soon) I think the move to realistic templates has made many prospective members think 'there's no way I can match that' and just not bother designing or returning to the board.
I’m not sure this is that left field at all, I’ve thought about this for a fair while. The Graphic Design section of the board is so important because we can have times like over the past year or so where there is little news about new jumpers and changes in manufacturers, but original design content can always be created. If I was just starting out now on here though, I don't know how much patience I would have with my design stuff when you are looking at such a gap that you have to overcome.

I don't think you really need a super realistic template to be competitive. I made the final of the t20a this year using a flat template and will look to do the same in the upcoming flag football comp, you just need to take the time to consider how to put together a template that complements your style and then put together a kick-ass design that people can't vote against. I understand this might be a bit difficult for someone new to the board to take in, but maybe we need to look at updating our resources to help out some newbies and make the board more accessible? I know I'd be happy to put together some stuff about how I put together my flat vector templates or how I go about presenting my work, if it meant that we could have more folks entering comps and making our community more lively!
 
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cottoneyeYeo

All Australian
Jan 16, 2019
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I’m not sure this is that left field at all, I’ve thought about this for a fair while. The Graphic Design section of the board is so important because we can have times like over the past year or so where there is little news about new jumpers and changes in manufacturers, but original design content can always be created. If I was just starting out now on here though, I don't know how much patience I would have with my design stuff when you are looking at such a gap that you have to overcome.

I don't think you really need a super realistic template to be competitive. I made the final of the t20a this year using a flat template and will look to do the same in the upcoming flag football comp, you just need to take the time to consider how to put together a template that complements your style and then put together a kick-ass design that people can't vote against. I understand this might be a bit difficult for someone new to the board to take in, but maybe we need to look at updating our resources to help out some newbies and make the board more accessible? I know I'd be happy to put together some stuff about how I put together my flat vector templates or how I go about presenting my work, if it meant that we could have more folks entering comps and making our community more lively!
great idea coming from someone who's only been around the board for a year and a bit
 
Sep 16, 2016
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I understand this might be a bit difficult for someone new to the board to take in, but maybe we need to look at updating our resources to help out some newbies and make the board more accessible? I know I'd be happy to put together some stuff about how I put together my flat vector templates or how I go about presenting my work, if it meant that we could have more folks entering comps and making our community more lively!
Honestly all the tutes are also in need of an update. Most of them I think are around 10 years old now (not to mention all the pictures are gone now).

Also I have a s**t ton of paint stuff on my laptop if you want me to upload it somewhere
 
Honestly all the tutes are also in need of an update. Most of them I think are around 10 years old now (not to mention all the pictures are gone now).

Also I have a s**t ton of paint stuff on my laptop if you want me to upload it somewhere
The Illustrator tuts that I followed from Greater Gattsby when I first got on here still hold up from a technical point of view and the images are still in tact for the most part. Didn't look through the others but I can imagine that they are a bit dated for FJGD in 2019.
I'd love to see more content on here based around different people processes and little tips and tricks that might help out new users, or even guys who have been around here for years! The only barriers for it happening are that people would be not keen to share due to the competitive nature of a lot of us, or if folks think they don't have it all figured out for themselves yet and don't think they are enough of an authority to advise others.
 
Apr 7, 2013
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Also the league competitions were fresh when I joined in 2013. It was basically just NAFL and the reserves were new.

FIRA/IFA, Can-Am, FLO all hadn't started and now they're all established. Most people re-enter every time and usually with the same team. I can see how it would be hard to crack into competitions here. That we have been doing the same thing for years does give the board a bit of a moribund vibe.
 
Apr 7, 2013
40,888
82,570
Burn City
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool FC
The Illustrator tuts that I followed from Greater Gattsby when I first got on here still hold up from a technical point of view and the images are still in tact for the most part. Didn't look through the others but I can imagine that they are a bit dated for FJGD in 2019.
I'd love to see more content on here based around different people processes and little tips and tricks that might help out new users, or even guys who have been around here for years! The only barriers for it happening are that people would be not keen to share due to the competitive nature of a lot of us, or if folks think they don't have it all figured out for themselves yet and don't think they are enough of an authority to advise others.
I've wanted to do some video tutorials but I am terrible with putting stuff off. Now I just don't have Photoshop any more lol.
 
Apr 7, 2013
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Btw unrelated but I have been using Affinity Designer for my new template and I'll be using it going forward. Really good Illustrator alternative and it was only about 80 bucks. If you can't afford Illustrator and you want good vector software I'd recommend it. There's a week trial on their site too.
 
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Btw unrelated but I have been using Affinity Designer for my new template and I'll be using it going forward. Really good Illustrator alternative and it was only about 80 bucks. If you can't afford Illustrator and you want good vector software I'd recommend it.
Inkscape is also a good vector software and it's free.
 
Sep 16, 2016
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I have no idea
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Maybe we could have a look in to some more basic forms of competitions that don't require fancy templates or incredible amounts of skill, like a logo competition or something?
Sort of in this vein I suggested a sort of design comp (inspired by the old motor racing question of who's the fastest in equal cars) where presentation is all the same and the only difference is the designs. It didn't take off (basically becaue it would require everyone using paint) but honestly it would be fun to watch
 
Honestly all the tutes are also in need of an update. Most of them I think are around 10 years old now (not to mention all the pictures are gone now).

Also I have a s**t ton of paint stuff on my laptop if you want me to upload it somewhere

The most recent Photoshop tutorial is from 2009, and is using Photoshop CS2. As far as I know, the Photoshop I'm using is CS6. All the images are cooked as well so it's not much use for anyone looking to learn to design. I learned the fundamentals of Photoshop from school but the stuff specific to footy jumpers I either researched or taught myself. It's taken me nearly a year to get where I am now, it would be great if new members had some up-to-date resources available

But I think the fact that this is one of recommended templates in the resource thread just shows how it could do with an overhaul:

713609

No offence intended to the designer, but while a few years ago it was a great template, at the moment it's a little dated
 
Also the league competitions were fresh when I joined in 2013. It was basically just NAFL and the reserves were new.

FIRA/IFA, Can-Am, FLO all hadn't started and now they're all established. Most people re-enter every time and usually with the same team. I can see how it would be hard to crack into competitions here. That we have been doing the same thing for years does give the board a bit of a moribund vibe.

I know this will be a very unpopular opinion, but maybe the longer competitions could do with an overhaul. As you said, when the same competitions featuring the same teams and the same designers pop up year after year it does become stale

Maybe we could have a look in to some more basic forms of competitions that don't require fancy templates or incredible amounts of skill, like a logo competition or something?

Maybe a revival of a variety of weekly competitions that don't require much time or skill to compete could be promoted and run. 'Company of the Week' which was an early weekly competition is an example of something that was easy to enter, and rather than designing for AFL teams all the time was something a little different

At the moment there's only one weekly competition on the board, and it requires three jumpers to be designed. While the concept is good, I know for me personally I struggle to pump out three jumpers in three months sometimes (depending on school/work), so three in one week is a stretch. Reviving something which requires a jumper and shorts, runs on a regular schedule and is something out of the ordinary could spark some life back into the board. And a plug on the bar at the top of the screen could help too
 
Sort of in this vein I suggested a sort of design comp (inspired by the old motor racing question of who's the fastest in equal cars) where presentation is all the same and the only difference is the designs. It didn't take off (basically becaue it would require everyone using paint) but honestly it would be fun to watch
I've thought a couple of times that a comp where all have to draw our designs with pen and paper would be good for a laugh!
 
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